Foundation opens Solana Beach office

SOLANA BEACH -- The San Diego Foundation, the county's largest
charitable organization, has opened an office in Solana Beach to
improve its connections with donors and nonprofit groups in North
County.

The office's employees will spend much of their time meeting
with the leaders of corporations, top philanthropists and the
area's elected officials, said Linda Katz, the foundation's
director of regional outreach.

"We will actually be out in the community more than we'll be in
the office," Katz said Wednesday. "We're anxious to learn what the
burning issues are facing the region."

The foundation, created in 1975, has nearly $500 million in
assets and has granted more than $400 million to nonprofit
organizations serving the area.

Among North County nonprofits supported by the foundation are
the Vista Community Clinic, North County Interfaith Council, the
YMCA of North Coast in Oceanside, Escondido Creek Conservancy in
Escondido, Neighborhood Health Care in Escondido, the Family
Literacy Foundation in Solana Beach and many more.

The foundation also announced Wednesday the hiring of four new
employees to serve North County.

John Duca, who previously worked as an independent consultant in
Carlsbad, has been hired as the regional manager for the Solana
Beach office, according to a news release from the foundation. Duca
holds a master's degree in law and diplomacy from Tufts University
and a bachelor's degree in political science from UCLA.

Also hired were Heather Dugdale, previously executive director
of San Diego Teen Court Inc., as the new regional manager for the
North County Inland office in Rancho Bernardo; David Jaffer, with
experience in estate and financial planning, as associate vice
president of endowments and planned giving; and Sedra Shapiro, an
author with a background in science and environmental studies, as
director of science and technology analysis and strategy.

The foundation also announced Wednesday the creation of the
Whitmer Animal Care Fund at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society in
Encinitas through an estate gift of $200,000 from the late Renata
Whitmer. A native of Germany, Whitmer was a homemaker with a
passion for animals.

For more information about the foundation, visit
www.sdfoundation.org.